1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to data streaming. Specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and devices for serializing data and for interpreting serialized data.
2. Related Art
Data maintained on computer systems in databases and data sets is frequently embodied as a data object. A data object can include a number of discrete Instances or fields of information. For example, a data object for an address book application might include a name field, an address field, and a phone number field.
It is often desirable to transfer the information in a data set from one node or device to another. To accomplish this, the information is converted or encoded into a serialized form consisting of a series of bit values that can be transmitted to another device. An interpreter at the receiving device unserializes the data in the stream and translates the data back into data objects. Techniques for data serialization and for interpreting serialized data are known in the art.
A problem can occur when, for example, information that is serialized using a newer version of a data serializer is received at a node that uses an older version of an interpreter. Typically, older versions of software cannot read information generated using newer versions. Information that can be read may not be read properly, or may not be correctly understood.
Also, consider an example in which data objects on an originating device contain a certain number of fields, but the data objects on a receiving device are set up for a lesser number of fields. Even if the interpreter can read the serialized data sent from the originating device, the interpreter will not know how to handle the additional fields of information.